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Monday, April 29, 2013

a friend of mine at work had a perfectly manicured fingernail of a chevron print! so cute!

she told me it was a nail decal called jamberry- they have all different sizes and colors! the way it works is you cut out a piece to fit your fingernail, place it on, and use your hairdryer to seal it. then use a wooden nail stick to smooth out the decal for the perfect fit.

i was so excited about it, that she shared some samples with me and of course i had to try them out!

here's how it went:

now, the sample size was teeny-tiny, so i could only fit one on my pinky finger! i did not have a wooden nail stick... i would highly recommend using one since mine still had some bumps in it after it set. the decal lasted for about a week (probably because i couldn't stop smoothing out the bubbles every day and messing with the edges...), but my friend's lasted for 2 weeks!

anyways, i think this is a great alternative to nail art- especially if you're trying to do the whole "paint an awesome design on your right hand using your left hand" which of course never looks as cool as you want it to look in the end. ;)

jamberry works sort of like a mary-kay where you have to order through a representative. head over to their website for more info!

1) iron out your doily if it's a little wrinkly. this will help in lining up the pattern.

2) fold the doily in half. then trace & cut out a collar pattern onto the doily.

3) next, take the bracelet chain and separate the chain in the very middle- opposite of the hook - with the needle-nose pliers.

4) using the pliers, reattach each end of the loose chain to the ends of the collar pieces.

5) now, fasten the front of the collar with a button. cut out a piece of fabric or felt the same size as the button. place the button on top of the doily and the fabric underneath and glue them all together.

6) pair the necklace with a cute top and enjoy!

now, you can use the rest of the doily to make yet another doily necklace!

1) use the other end of the doily and cut out a C shape. be sure to stay along the crochet lines.

2) open up the necklace chain and weave it in and out of the top part of the doily.

3) now, there are 2 ways you can wear this necklace...

like this, or like this...

have fun with your new necklaces! feel free to pin & share with friends! <3

i'm not going to lie, i wrestled with this fabric along with the lining and elastic, but after many re-dos and learning experiences, i'm very happy with the way it turned out!

i followed along with the tutorial from cotton & curls, but after making some mistakes here and there, here is my own adapted version.

what you need:

sewing machine

1 1/2-2 yards of tulle fabric

1/12-2 yards of lining (i used a silky fabric close to the color of the tulle)

thread to match your fabric

elastic band- enough to go around your waist

scissors or rotary tool & mat (this was the first time i used mine!)

pins

1) measure your waist where you want your skirt to sit. then take the measurements hip/3.14/2=radius. this measurement will now be the radius (from middle to edge) of your skirt waist.

2) fold your fabric in half and measure and mark a half circle with the radius measurement from the fold. from there, determine how long you want your skirt to be and add about two inches. measure from the end of the radius measurement out onto the rest of your fabric and mark it all around creating a half circle (this will be the length of your skirt).

3) using scissors or your rotary cutter, cut along the lines you drew on the tulle. use the same measurements, but add about an inch and a half to the bottom of the lining. (note: in my photos i made my lining fit my waist while i made the tulle waist bigger for gathering. i would not recommend doing this as it makes the sewing process a lot harder!)

4) now, take your elastic around your waist and stretch it a bit to fit around your waist and sew the ends together. if you leave the elastic loose, the skirt will be too big. in essence, the unstretched elastic should be a few inches shorter than your actual waist size.

5) once your fabric is cut out, line lining and fabric up while stretching the elastic and start pinning everything together like so. Then continue to pin more all around the waist:

6) turn the skirt inside out so you can sew all 3 together along the very top of the skirt while stretching the fabric (this is the hard part!). once you have done this, fold the elastic down so the elastic is covered by the fabric. sew with a zig-zag stitch along the bottom part of the elastic while stretching it- catching the elastic with fabric on the zig and only the fabric of the skirt on the zag.

7) finally, while your skirt is still inside-out, fold the lining up twice all along the bottom to match up with length of the bottom of the tulle and pin all around. hem lining all around the bottom. turn back right side out, try it on, and admire your diy tulle skirt! :)

Monday, April 8, 2013

it's been quite some time since i updated, but it doesn't mean that my mind has strayed away from diys and fashion inspiration...

one of the main reasons it's been a little hard to come back is due to the fact that my great-grandma (nana) passed away in december. she was my main inspiration for this blog and even the name the modernette came from a story she told me. you can read more in my about section. she had a wonderful life living to her mid-90s, and i only hope to carry on her legacy through my own creativity - blogging or not.

but hey- she wouldn't want me or anyone else to be sad. so here's the good news:

i have so many new crazy ideas for this blog that my brain (and notes app on my phone) is bursting!

after some reflection, i am not too thrilled with the direction i was taking the blog. it's fun to dream and all, but one of my pet-peeves in the blogging world is when the blog becomes more about fantasy than reality. sure it's fun to dream and i'll post a few inspiration posts here and there to keep up on trends, but you can begin to go down a path with wanting & wishing- not cool.

what can you start to see with the new modernette?

-diy posts (yay!)
-affordable looks and ways to make look-alikes for less.
-and more surprises!

Sunday, December 9, 2012

hey guys!sorry for the lack of updates lately, but i've been busy working on a new project. here's more info and just as a warning, this won't be your usual fashion inspiration blog post. ;)I have decided to participate in a project with my friend Elaini. She is a fashion blogger on Misselainious.com (you would lover her style!) and has raised thousands of dollars for kids in India through Warm Blankets Orphan Care- such an inspiration! This holiday season, she has asked me to participate in a 12 Days of Christmas project. The challenge for me will be to style a photo shoot inspired by day 2- two turtle doves which will be posted on her blog in about a week. I had SO much fun during the shoot and I can't wait to share it with you!

With this challenge, my goal is to raise $1000 before the end of the year to donate to Warm Blankets Orphan Care. This is an organization Chico & I really care about. We met the founder, Craig, about a year ago and heard some of the most incredible stories about the kids (ask me about them sometime!).

I attached a few photos of the kids we will be helping. Warm Blankets rescues these orphans from life on the streets or worse, sex trafficking. Your donation helps put these adorable kids in loving Church Orphan Homes where they are cared and provided for. By helping give these children a safe environment, you not only save their lives but you help them to thrive. With your support, they will be clothed, fed, given an education, and most importantly loved. Your donation goes to not just changing these precious lives but also invests in helping to stop the cycle of poverty in this country.

How do you donate? Head over to Elaini's blog and click "Give Now" in the right hand corner. Please put "Alyssa DiCicco" in the comments section so my progress is tracked. All donations are made through a secure page & are tax deductible. Please know that 100% goes to the children- pretty rad. Checks can be sent to this address but please make sure to mark my name on the bottom of the check as well as "12 Days Project".

Thursday, November 8, 2012

it's been a while, but that doesn't mean that fashion has escaped my mind. it's definitely feeling like fall in nashville these days, so the need for sweaters is increasing every day! i can't get enough of these incredible navajo print sweaters... so much so that this is my second blog post on them! (i'll call this one the winter edition) ;) they look so cozy and cute.